Wheelie-popping motorcyclist killed after sailing over I-95 wall
The wreck happened around 11 Tuesday night in the northbound lanes of I-95 just south of I-395 in Miami.
“The morotcyclist ... somehow lost control,” Miami Fire Capt. Ignatius Carroll told reporters. “The impact was so severe that the motorcycle actually caught fire and there was debris that was scattered not only on the highway but down onto Northwest Third Avenue.”
Authorities shut down northbound I-95 near I-395 and Northwest Third, causing extensive traffic delays. The highway was opened in time for Wednesday morning commuters.
The man, who was 25 or 26, traveled at “a high level of speed” and was driving in a “reckless manner,” said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Joe Sanchez.
He was wearing a helmet, but “that helmet isn’t going to save his life at that speed,” Sanchez said.
Witnesses say the man was popping wheelies, traveling at high speeds and weaving in and out of traffic just before the crash, possibly to impress a female driver.
“I saw that he was like seriously out of control. I actually was on the phone and said that he was gonna hurt himself,” witness Tia Finley told Miami Herald news partner CBS4.
“I tried to go get him from the bike but he wasn’t on the bike. I walked down the bridge and I saw his torso and it just threw me,” Finley said. “It was another individual in a car that he was stopping and going and dealing with. It was a girl, I guess he was flirting with the girl. He would stop and go, he was showing off. “
The crash is part of a larger trend, Sanchez said, referring to a U.S. Customs officer who died in a motorcycle accident two weeks ago. Another motorcyclist was killed Saturday night after crashing into a car near Northwest Fifth Avenue and 58th Street.
“We have had a spike in motorcycle fatalities in recent years,” Sanchez said. “These are hard-impact crashes the body just can’t survive.”
Sanchez said that often “modified fast bikes” are involved in fatal crashes. This was also the case Tuesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol have identified the man but are waiting to release information until after his family has been notified.
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